Lubricator



Jan. 22, 1952 R. H. wooDALL LUBRICATOR 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Filed March 29, 1949 LUBRICATOR 2/ SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed March 29, 1949 Fig Patented Jan. 22, 1952 LUBRICATOR Raymond Harcourt Woodall, Wembley,. England,

assignor to Rotax Limted, London, England' Application March 29, 1949, serial Na. 84,085

In Great Britain April .13, 1948 This invention has for its object to provide an improved lubricator for supplying lubricant to the rotary cam of a contact breaker in an electric-spark ignition apparatus, or to any other analogous rotary part of a mechanism.

The invention comprises the combination of a lubricant receptacle having an outlet at one end, a rigid porous body in the receptacle, a felt or like pad between the said end and the porous body, and a wick or the like extending through the said end.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a sectional side view, and Figure 2 an inverted sectional plan illustrating one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 being taken on the line I-I of Figure 2, and Figure 2 being taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional side view illustrating another embodment.

Referring to Figures l and 2, the device there shown comprises a cylindrical lubricant receptacle a made from metal and having theren a window b formed by a glass or other transparent lining. Alternatively the body part may be made wholly or in part of transparent material. one end of the receptacle is provided an air vent, preferably consisting of a hollow stem c extending into the receptacle from a cover piece d, the length of the stem being such that in the event of inversion of the receptacle it can serve (with the adjacent part of the receptacle) to form a trap for retaining the lubricant. At the other end of the receptacle is formed an outlet, this consisting of an outwardly extending tube e of any convenient length. Adjacent to the outlet end of the receptacle is placed a thin pad of felt or other like absorbent material, and in contact with the inner side of this pad is placed a rigid porous body g of any convenient thickness. the said body consisting preferably of a block of sintered metal. 'I'he said block may at its periphery fit the receptacle closely (as shown), or it may be made of rather smaller diameter than the receptacle, in which case the annular space around it may be occupled by a thin layer of absorbent material.

Also the outlet tube e is occupied by a wiek h extending from the pad above mentioned, and projecting from the outlet tube, it being intended that the outer end of the wiek shall bear on the cam or other rotary body to be lubricated. The wick may be of brush-like form consisting of a bunch of bristles.

When in use the region of the receptacle lying between the upper side of the porous block and the inner end of the vent is occupied by a liquid lubricant i, and this is fed by absorption through the porous block to the absorbent pad which collects the lubricant from the adjacent vpart of the porous block and supplies it to the wiek. Maintenance of atmospheric air pressure in the receptacle is ensured by the vent, and in the event of inversion of the receptacle (such as may occur when the device is used on an -aircraft) escape of lubricant through the vent is prevented by the trap. H

To prevent dislodgement of the porous block from its proper position, a sheet metal retainer consisting of side pieces 7' extending from a plate lc, is placed between the block and the cover piece d.

In the modification illustrated by Figure 3, there is employed a hollow cylindrical sheet metal or other body part a of any convenient diameter and length. At one end the said part is provided with an Outlet e which may consist of a tube extending from that end. The other end is closed by a perforated plate or gauze m which is open to the atmosphere. In contact with the inner face of the outlet end of the body part is placed a felt or other pad of any convenient material, and the remainder of the enclosure is occupied by a block y of porous material, such as sintered metal, this being saturated with lubricant, and its volume being such as will store a quantity of lubricant adequate for the intended purpose.

In the porous block is formed a bore to receive a wiek h which fits the bore and extends through the pad and the outlet tube e, this arrangement being suitable when the length of the porous block is greater than its diameter. When it is more convenient to employ a shorter porous block having a correspondingly larger diameter, one or more holes are formed in different positions along the block in addition to a hole in alignment with the outlet tube. The additional hole or holes are each fitted with a wick as n terminatlng at one end at the pad its purpose being to supply lubricant from the porous body to the pad.

Either of the devices above described may be adapted to be mounted (as shown in Figure 3) on a stationary part o in proximity to the part to be lubricated, with the projecting end of the outlet wiek in contact with the said latter part.

When the device is made in accordance with Figures 1 and 2, the lubricant receptacle can be periodically replenished with lubricant. With the construction shown in Figure 3 the porous block is either discarded and replaced by another. or

one end, a rigid porous body arranged in the receptacle and spaced from the said end thereof, a wiek extending through the outlet, and an absorbent pad of fiexible material 'situated between the porous body and the said endv of the receptacle and in contact with both the porous body and the wick so that lubricant fed by absorption through the porous body is collected by the pad and supplied thereby to the wick.

2. A lubricating device as claimed in claim l, i;

in which the end of the receptaole remote from the outlet is provided with an inwardy extending air vent adapted to prevent escape of free lubricant on inversicn of the device.

3. A lubricating device comprising the combination of a hollow body part having an outletat one end, an absorbent pad in contact with the cutlet end of the body part, a rgid porous body in contact with the pad and extending to the other end of the body part, the said porous body 1' being provided with a pluraiity of holes, and

wicks occupying the said holes, one of the wcks extending through the pad and the outlet.

4. A lubricating device comprising in combination a lubricant receptacle having an outlet at one end, a rigid porous body arranged in the receptacle and spaced from the said end thereof, a wiek extending through the outlet, and an absorbent 'pad of fiexible material situated between and in contact with the porous body and the said end of the receptacle and also in contact with the wck so that lubricant fed by absorption through the porous body is collected by the pad and supplied thereby to the wiek, the latter being arranged to extend through the body and pad as well as through the outlet.

RAYMOND HARCOURT WOODALL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 179,558 High July 4, 1876 1,391,466 Fekete Sept. 20, 1921 `1,416,313l Astbury o May 16, 1922 1,462,174 Hale July 17, 1923 1,68'7,780 Neale Oct. 16, 1928 2,084156 Albrecht June 22, 1937 2526:3,047 Tognola Dec. 2, 1941 2.393,2'03 Tarbell Jan. 15, 1946 

